FOOD PATTERNS AND EATING HABITS AMONG CHILDREN DURING THE PANDEMIC: A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The current pandemic of the novel COVID-19 lead to the nationwide lockdown for a relatively long period. The lockdown has led to changes among every individual at different level. Although children are less severely infected with mild infectious, they are still at risk. One of the major strategies for prevention of the spread of the disease was the ‘nationwide lockdown’ which was adopted by Government. One of the outcomes of the lockdown was disrupted schedules of many individuals. It also leads to irregularity and hindrance for ‘food access’ toindividuals which further affect the overall household. One such subgroup which have been affected are the children.With changes in their lifestyle and timetable there is indeed a change in their eating habits and food consumption. In-depth interviews were conducted with 9 parents in Pune and Mumbai city. They described their experiences of children ranging 2 years up to 18 years. There were five major themes which emerged from the study: effect of pandemic on daily lifestyle, dietary changes at household level, eating patterns and food practices among children and lastly activities of children. In this paper viewpoints and experiences of parents on their children’s food eating habits and practices during COVID-19 pandemic are presented.